I Shot the Chef | Can you taste it? » Salad

El Venadito Cheese

Candace — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:00:36 +0000

I was approached by Specialty Cheese Company and asked if I would like to taste test El Venadito (hispanic cheeses.) Ummm… Free cheese? Yes please! If you haven’t realized before, I love cheese. At any given time, we have no less than 3 types of cheese in our refrigerator. It is a nightly snack in my house and now I’ve added a fourth must have cheese. Specialty Cheese Company sent three types of El Venadito cheeses, two different Queso Blanco’s (one low sodium) and a Queso Para Frier. All three were tasty, but I really loved the flavor of the low sodium Queso Blanco. It had a great flavor and texture and fried up lovely. Plus it didn’t taste low sodium! Texture wise, my favorite was the Para Frier… it almost had a haloumi texture… kinda squeaky when you chewed it. According to Specialty Cheese Company, you can find El Venadito cheeses at Publix, Sedano’s and Winn Dixie in Miami. I was very happy to see that the Publix where I shop in Ft Lauderdale carried it!

If you think that I’ve battered and deep fried cheese, you’re wrong. This delicious and firm cheese is pan fried on a DRY pan. No oil or fat added. It is delicious. It browns gorgeously and gets just a little soft… It has a great bite and get’s very chewy. I served it several different ways… with a salad, with freshly baked bread and olive oil and standing in front of the stove while cooking more… lol! Either way is fabulous!

Pan Fried Fresh Cheese Recipe

4 oz fresh cheese (Queso Blanco or Para Frier)

1. Slice the cheese into 1/4 inch pieces. Preheat a non-stick saute pan over medium high heat. Place the cheese on the saute pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until brown. Gently turn the cheese and cook other side. Serve as desired…

Healthy Eating Commences Now

Candace — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:14:41 +0000

I’ve set a goal. I know I’m never going to be back to my perfect size. Never gonna happen. But I’d like to get close to that size… or around the corner from it. Or just in the neighborhood. I’d like to lose 10 (really 15) pounds. I’ve been eating more fruits and vegetables, and trying to avoid the bad (or really, really good!) stuff. I’ve even been using my pool for laps every morning. We’ll see how long that lasts!

This salad is an attempt to recreate a lentil salad I had while on a friend’s sailboat recently. It was so good that I kept eating it. And eating it. And eating it. You get the point, right? The best part is that the salad was definitely healthy. All I remembered were lentils, caramelized onions and herbs. I’ve made something similar, but I’m pretty sure it’s totally different. Either way… its yummy and great for my new healthy eating regime!

Lentil Salad Recipe
1 c dried lentils
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt
black pepper
3-4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, sliced (not too thin)
1 roasted red pepper, cut into small strips
10 kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Rinse the lentils in cold water and place into a small pan with the garlic, dried thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cover with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes until just starting to soften. I prefer my lentils with a little bit of a bite so I slightly under cook them. Strain, discard the garlic and add lentils to a large bowl.

2. While the lentils are cooking, Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper and saute for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Stir often to avoid burning. Add to the bowl with lentils.

3. Add the roasted red pepper, olives, fresh herbs, vinegar and remainder of olive oil to the bowl. Gently toss the ingredients together to combine. If it seems to dry, add a little water or you could add more olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Makes 4 servings

Grilled Pear Salad

Candace — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:49:41 +0000

As with most of you out there, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to eat healthy and lose a pound or two (or three, or four…etc.) Since I’m not a big fan of exercise, I choose to watch what I eat instead. I can get Stephan to eat salad, but he prefers a piece of steak on top of a few lettuce leaves. That’s my idea of a yummy salad, but not necessarily a healthy one! To increase the yummy factor and decrease the fat factor, this salad is packed with flavor from grilled pears, blue cheese and candied pecans. Grilling pears brings out the sweetness and caramelizes the outside. What’s not to like?

Grilled Pear Salad

2 pears (must be ripe but firm) peeled and sliced
3 c baby arugula
2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
16 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
blue cheese
1/4 c pomegranate seeds
salt
pepper

1. Heat Grill pan over medium high heat and place pear slices on pan. Grill for 2-3 minutes, then flip and grill the other side for another 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the pears, as they will get mushy. Do this in small batches and let cool. When cooled, slice, or dice depending on how you want to serve it.

2. Toss arugula with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Arrange on the plate and scatter the grilled pears, tomatoes, yellow pepper, blue cheese and pomegranate seeds on top.

Candied Almonds Recipe

1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp water
1 c whole blanched almonds
1 tsp unsalted butter

1. Place foil on cookie sheet and set aside. Stir sugar and water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 4-7 minutes.

2. Mix in almonds and butter. Immediately pour out onto foil, separating almonds with fork. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Serves 2 as entree or 4 as appetizer

I Got Beeten

Candace — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:55:48 +0000

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a severe aversion to beets. This aversion started at a salad bar when I was a kid. I thought this pretty red food was something sweet and when I bit into it, I was very very shocked to taste that strange vinegary earthy flavor. That was my first and last time eating beets for many many years. In culinary school, we cooked a ton of recipes containing beets. I found out those dastardly things were considered “delicacies” and could be found in most fine dining establishments. So I would cook them, but I refused to eat them. Now, I’m not a namby pamby when it comes to trying food. I’ve eaten almost anything you can think of, from frog legs to alligator to most (edible) internal organs found in a cow.

Last month when we had lunch at Novecento, I really wanted the salad that had some of my favorite things… arugula, blue cheese, tomatoes… and beets. I hate to be “that person” in a restaurant that gets food special ordered, especially in fine dining. So I ordered it… with the beets. I started eating the arugula and other goodies, and then ate one brunoise sized cube of beet. It wasn’t bad. Actually, it was quite good. Just like that… my relationship with beets has changed. I’ve made them at home several times now, and I’m glad its opened up a whole new color for me! Clearly I eat with my eyes first, so color is important to me! This salad is a bouquet of color with amazing organic veggies from Josh’s Organic Market on Hollywood Beach.

Roasted Beet Salad Recipe

3 small beets, around 1 pound
olive oil
champagne vinegar (or other type)
2 c arugula
1 c baby spinach
8-12 cherry tomatoes
cheese (blue, goat, feta… etc)
1/4 c nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
pumpkin seed oil (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub and then pierce each beat several times with the tip of a sharp knife. Wrap each beet in a piece of aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until tender. Let cool about 30 minutes and then peel by rubbing off the skins under running water.

2. Dice the beets into cubes. Add a little salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar to the beets (to taste) and let sit for at least a half hour. If you have pumpkin seed oil, add a few drops of it to the beets.

3. Place the arugula and baby spinach in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil. vinegar, salt and pepper. You can also use prepared vinaigrette, but I prefer to keep it simple. Arrange the greens, tomatoes, cheese, nuts and beets on the plate and give an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Makes 2 servings as a dinner salad, or 4 as a side salad.

Salmon with White Bean Salad

Candace — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:31:09 +0000

We’ve been eating more red meat lately, and I was craving a little lighter fare. This was also one of those evenings when I was dog tired and just wasn’t in the mood to cook. I think I spent all of about 20 minutes cooking this dinner, and that includes the broiling!

Broiled Salmon Recipe

2 salmon filets
salt
pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp butter

1. Preheat oven to broil, and set the rack on the 2nd to top position. It should be about 6 inches away from the broiler element. Make sure it preheats about 10 minutes to ensure it is very hot. Place a piece of tin foil on a small (metal) sheet pan.

2. Season both sides of salmon with salt, pepper and lemon juice and smear the butter on top of the filets. Place salmon filets on the prepared sheet pan and broil for about 6-8 minutes, until the top gets golden brown and the fish flakes.

Makes 2 Servings

Note: If the fish looks completely cooked and there is not much browning, carefully move the oven rack up the the top level and broil for another minute. Warning, do not walk away from the oven, or you can start a fire!

White Bean Salad Recipe

1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans (drained and well rinsed)
1 dill pickle, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon, juice
1-2 tbsp rice vinegar (or other mild vinegar)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

1 . Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle.

Makes 2 Servings

Note: This salad is also great as a main dish, with a handful of blue cheese crumbles and fancy field greens.